Idesco continues evolution into a service-minded integrator

NEW YORK - After seeing business grow 20 percent over a one-year period, systems integrator Idesco Corp. added several new employees and expanded its office in midtown Manhattan. The growth comes thanks to years of work at Idesco, a company that originally focused on the ID badging market when founded in 1943. Its push into the systems integration market began 10 years ago, when the company added access control and surveillance systems expertise to its portfolio. The company changed significantly over the years, according to Andrew Schonzeit, president of Idesco and grandson of company founder Hyman Schonzeit. While it has added new products to its roster, including biometrics, the privately owned company is now proactively pursuing new business from residential and commercial buildings. It’s an initiative the company began about one year ago. “We want to get ourselves out there,” said Schonzeit, about the 40-employee company. “We want to let people know about our enhanced capabilities.” Over the last few years, Idesco evolved from focusing on just selling equipment to becoming service oriented, with service available around the clock. The company has also put an emphasis on its employees participating in factory training offered by product manufacturers. As a result of those efforts, Idesco recently won projects involving high-profile properties in New York, such as The Empire State Building and The Flatiron Building. “What happens is once you get an account, you can show someone else in that field that this company is using you. You have a big resume,” said Joel Hershkowits, director of marketing for Idesco. “We’ve been able to build on our accounts.” New work like this prompted company officials to hire additional people during the past few months. Recent additions to the company include B.Z. Halberstam, chief operating officer, Michael Kreisler, senior project manager, Kevin Doyle, technical specialist and Doug Blum, inside sales. To accommodate these new employees, Idesco added several thousand square feet to its 20,000-square-foot office here. It also increased the display area in its showroom for the products it offers, said Schonzeit.